College of Human Ecology offers nation's first graduate certificate in financial therapy

The certificate program provides graduate-level educational training to both financial and mental health professionals who want to improve clients' financial health by integrating relational, behavioral, cognitive and emotional elements with personal finance, according to Kristy Archuleta, associate professor and licensed marriage and family therapist who has spent her career bridging financial planning and marriage and family therapy to form financial therapy.

"The certificate will equip financial and mental health professionals with knowledge and skills to help clients increase their overall well-being and meet their personal goals, especially as they relate to money. Understanding how to integrate financial therapy principles and practices into their current profession is essential to increasing the financial well-being and financial goals, which consequently will increase overall well-being," Archuleta said.

Financial therapy is an emerging field of practice and study. Kansas State University's College of Human Ecology is offering the first academic program in the country — and perhaps in the world — that aims to address this concept of financial therapy.

The Financial Therapy Association was founded at Kansas State University with personal financial planning faculty serving as founding board members. Many of the same faculty members will be teaching the courses on the latest research and trends in financial therapy.

The online program consists of five eight-week courses or 15 credit hours, and takes about a year to complete. The courses include Fundamentals of Financial Planning, Introduction to Financial Therapy, Money and Relationships, Applied Behavioral Finance, and Financial Therapy Theory and Research.

The personal financial planning program in the College of Human Ecology's School of Family Studies and Human Services also offers an undergraduate degree, a personal financial planning graduate certificate, an online master's degree and a hybrid doctoral program where students take online classes during the fall and spring semesters and participate in an intensive 10-day summer experience on campus and internationally.